Defense, free throws fuel Springfield’s semifinal win
HAVERFORD >> One year ago the Springfield Cougars were miles away from the Central League championship. On Saturday, they secured their spot in it.
Jordan D’Ambrosio scored 17 points and the Cougars shut down Conestoga standout Ellie Mack in a 38-35 victory in the league semifinals held at Haverford High. They will face defending champion Garnet Valley, which took the other semifinal, in Monday night’s title game.
“It’s a really big step in our history for basketball,” said D’Ambrosio, a freshman. “It’s a huge improvement.”
Springfield was actually down 17-15 at the half, but dominated the third quarter and departed that period with a six-point lead. D’Ambrosio had a key three-point play midway through the period, a possession after missing two free throws, to put her team up for good.
In the fourth quarter, Springfield hit eight free throws — mostly from D’Ambrosio — to hold off Conestoga.
The Pioneers never even had the ball with a chance to tie the game in the final period. Springfield’s defense, and especially its foul shooting, kept Conestoga at bay.
“We’ve done that very well all year,” Springfield coach Ky McNichol said of her team’s performance at the foul line. “We hold our composure.”
Springfield also did that on Mack, who only had 10 points — they all came late in the fourth quarter when the Pioneers were trying to play catch up. The Bucknell recruit could not get anything going. This was by design.
The first time these teams played, the Cougars controlled Mack, but not her teammates. They made up for that Saturday.
“We knew this time to stay in the lane and help,” D’Ambrosio said.
No other Conestoga player hit double figures. Only D’Ambrosio hit double figures for Springfield, but Madison D’Ambrosio, Jordan’s sister, had seven key points down low. Maggie O’Connell had two 3-pointers for six points, including a big trey in the fourth quarter.
Springfield entered this game 13th in the latest (unofficial) District One Class AAAA power rankings. The win, and a potential Central League title, will have no bearing on that. But for a team that’s come a long way in such a short period of time, that seemed irrelevant.
“I’m just so proud of this team (and) where they came from last year,” McNichol said. “I’m extremely proud of them, their heart and the passion they had.”
